Garment-supporter.



No. 771,718. PATENTED OCT. 4, 1904. J. G. COPELAND.

GARMENT SUPPORTER.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 8, 1904. N0 MODEL.

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UNITED STATES Patented October 4, 190 s.

PATENT OFFICE,

GARMENT-SUPPORTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 771,718, dated October 4, 1904. Application filed January 8, 1904. Serial No. 188,221. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, J AMES (1. COPELAND, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pottsville, in the county of Schuylkill and State of Pennsylvania, have invented new and useful Improvements in Garment Supporters, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a garment-supporter adapted for application to a corset, corset-cover, shirt-waist, or other garment applied to the upper part of the body and to a skirt, and the purpose of the same is to provide means for holding a shirt-waist or other garment down in place at the back and in connection with the skirt, and, further, to prevent the back of the skirt from sagging, the supporter being easily and quickly applied and detached and when applied concealed from exterior view. The improved supporter is devoid of projecting points, spurs, or analogous devices ordinarily employed in devices of this class and is of such compact form that it will not materially project when applied and produce an unsightly appearance, but, on the contrary, will fit close to the body of the wearer.

The invention consists in the construction and arrangement of parts which will be more fully hereinafter set forth.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a supporter embodying the features of the invention. Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section through the same shown applied. Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical section through the supporter shown open. Fig. 4 is a front elevation of a slightly-modified form of the supporter.

Similar numerals of reference are employed to indicate corresponding parts in the several views.

The numeral 1 designates a pair of holding-arms, which are formed of doubled resilient wire and may be of any desired length. The one strand 2 of each of these arms is continued upwardly above the other strand 3 and shaped to form an upper attaching member 4, having an opening therethrough. Both attaching members 4: are in longitudinal alinement and continue into a horizontal clamping-bar 5, located below the upper terminals of said members. The members A, shown by Fig. 1, are in the form of elongated loops, through which a belt maybe inserted and secured over a corset or other undergarment, or said loops may be directly held by a corsetlace threaded therethrough to hold the supporter in applied position on the body of the wearer at the center of the back. In the form of the device shown by Fig. 1 the attaching members are shaped to form eyes 5, the parts of the wire being held in close relation by clips or securing-bands 6. These eyes may be secured to a corset or other undergarment by any preferred means.

The strands 3 0f the arms 1 are bent inwardly to form catch-loops 7, and the upper ends of said strands are inserted through and secured in lugs or ears 8 at the upper'end of opposite sides of a clamping element or jaw 9 in the form of a plate of suitable width and thickness, the upper ends of the strands 3 and the lugs or cars 8 forming pivotal connecting means for the said clamping element. The clamping element 9 has a pair of hooks 10 struck up from one face thereof to catch in suitable loops 11, secured on the inner side of the waistband 12 at the back of a skirt 13, as shown by Fig. 2, and at the lower portion of said clamping member are opposite outstanding catches or projections 14, which are adapted to engage the catch-loops 7 of the strands 3. The upper edge of the clamping element 9 is adapted to bear against the inner portion of the clamping-bar 5, and in the operation of the device the said clamping element and the upper extremities of the strands 3 are movable between the strands 2. The lower ends of the arms 1, as shown by Figs. 1, 2, and 3, are formed with single bends 15 and are turned or twisted inwardly to prevent the said arms from having a material outward projection. In Fig. 1 the lower ends of the arms are formed with spring-coils 16, which are twisted outwardly to reduce the projection thereof. As shown by Fig. 4, the clamping element or jaw 9 may be increased in dimensions and ornamented by open-work,

and the position of the catches 14 and catchloops 7 may be varied without in the least detracting from the operation of the supporter.

When the clamping element or jaw 9 is released from the clamping-bar 5, the strands 2 and 3, forming the arms 1, spring outwardly from each other,or, in other words, the strands 3 will fly outwardly away from the strand 2, as clearly shown by Fig. 3. When the clamping element or jaw 9 is caused to engage the clamping-bar 5 and the catches or projections 14 are held by the catch-loops 7 the strands 3 are drawn against the strands .Z or in proximity to the latter and a spring-pressure is exerted on the clamping element or jaw at its lower portion, and said pressure applied as stated causes the upper edge of said clamping element to be held in close holding relation to the clamping-bar 5, and hence any part of a garment inserted between the said clamping element and clamping-bar will be prevented from becoming accidentally disengaged or slipping between the said parts until a release is effected. In releasing the clamping element or jaw 9 the arms 1 are forced outwardly in opposite lateral directions to cause the catches or projections 1 to clear the catchloops 7 and when said clearance takes place the clamping element turns on its pivot connections sufliciently to clear the bar 5 and is thrown outwardly by the tendency of the strands 3 to return to normal position.

A shirt-waist, corset-cover, or analogous garment is inserted between the clamping element or jaw 9 and the bar 5 and the strands 2 and 3 of the arms 1, the part of the garment engaged being at the lower edge of the center of the back, and as much as said garment may be pulled down between the parts of the supporter just set forth as may be required or desired and secured by locking the clamping element or jaw in the manner heretofore set forth. The waistband of the skirt is then connected to the hooks 10 and the entire supporter covered and hidden from exterior View. The arms 1 depend inside of the upper part of the skirt, at the back, as shown by Fig. 2, and are readily accessible when the waistband of the skirt is opened for releasing the shirt-waist or other garment engaging the supporter.

The form of the device shown by Fig. 4: will be preferred in many applications; but the essential features of theinven tion are alike in both forms illustrated.

It will be understood that changes in the proportions and dimensions, as well as the minor details, may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus fully described the invention, what is claimed as new is- 1. A supporter having resilient arms composed of strands normally tending to separate, one strand of each pair of strands having a clamping bar connecting the same, and a clamping element pivotally attached to intermediate portions of the remaining strands of the pair of strands.

2. A supporter having a pair of resilient arms connected by a clamping-bar, and a clamping element pivotally attached tointermediate portions of the said arms and provided with a pair of hooks to engage a skirt.

3. A garment-supporter having a pair of arms composed of resilient strands normally tending to separate and provided with a clamping-bar, and a clamping element pivotally connected to the terminals of a portion of the strands and movable between the strands, the said clampingelement having one edge thereof arranged to be brought in close relation to the clamping-bar.

4E. A garment-supporter having a pair of arms composed of resilient strands, the one strand of each pair being bent inwardly and continuing into a transversely extending clamping-bar and the remaining strands of each pair of strands having catch-loops struck outwardly therefrom, and a clamping-plate pivotally attached to the terminals of the strands having the catch-loops and provided with laterally-extending projections to engage the said loops and with hooks for attachment to a part of a skirt.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES c. COPELAND.

Witnesses:

JOHN L. FLETCHER,

Jnssm A. KING. 

